


where he belongs, we wait

by abracadora (killjoycatlady)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Family Dynamics, Gen, based on the video message that lance records in what i think is season five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 02:18:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15233202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killjoycatlady/pseuds/abracadora
Summary: Lance's family haven't heard from him for over a year. Fourteen months after his disappearance, they receive a call from the Garrison.





	where he belongs, we wait

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on that one episode in Season 5 where Hunk says that he and Lance recorded messages to send to their families, and the three names that Lance gave of his siblings: Veronica, Marco, and Luis.
> 
> Disclaimer: I watched Season 5 one time, and I don't accurately remember everything that happened in it or the fine details of anything that was said. I actually don't remember most of the season at all- this scene was probably the only thing I can recall off the top of my head. That being said, please forgive any inaccuracies and pretend that this fic is just meant to diverge from canon. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Veronica McClain and her family were on a well-deserved vacation in their maternal grandmother’s home when they received the call.

Her grandmother’s rather old phone chimed with a piercing noise. Grimacing, Veronica moved to answer it.

“Buenas tardes, habla Veronica McClain,” Veronica said into the receiver.

“This is the McClain family?” came a nasally, American voice.

“Yes,” Veronica said, switching to English. “How may I help you?”

 “This is Dr. Robert Gadway of the Galaxy Garrison,” he answered, “You are the sister of Lance McClain, correct?”

As if on reflex, Veronica’s chest tightened at that name. “Correct,” she said coolly. “Mr. Gadway, if this is another follow up investigation, I must decline-”

“This is not,” Mr. Gadway interrupted, “An investigation. In fact, we can provide you with something you have been seeking for months: answers. May I speak to your parents?”

“They’re out,” Veronica lied, “I am an adult and this is my brother. You may tell me whatever it is that is so important.”

There came a pause from the other line. Then, stiffly, Mr. Gadway said, “Very well. Veronica, you should be pleased to know that the Galaxy Garrison has received contact from your brother, Lance McClain.”

The phone slipped out of Veronica’s hand and hit the floor with a resounding _thud_.

 

 

 Their grandmother lived in the more isolated outskirts near the shores of Varadero Beach, in a spacious, sunny house full of life but also fluid silence that was a blessing after the noisy crowd of the city where Veronica and her family lived. Currently, both their mother and father were there, as well as Veronica and her older siblings, Luis and Marco, and their aunt, their mother’s older sister. Yet, the family was not complete- there was a hole in the family as gaping and obvious as a hole in the window- and that was why they were all gathered there in such union.

Veronica’s grandmother was short, brown, and nothing if not nosy. Rather wisely, Veronica’s mother decided that it was best not to tell anything to the rest of the family for fear of getting people’s hopes up and attracting too many invasive questions. The knowledge was kept between Veronica, her parents, and her siblings.

They found the first flight from Cuba to Arizona and boarded the plane with only a fraction of their belongings and grim, determined expressions.

Lance disappeared almost fourteen months ago. Veronica stills remembered, the memory carved into her mind, the morning when she walked into the kitchen and spotted her parents sitting on the couch, ghost-faced, staring at the news with silent tears dripping down their faces. She still remembered the bright red headline flashing: THREE STUDENTS DISAPPEARED FROM THE GALAXY GARRISON. The image of Lance’s student ID picture staring at Veronica from the TV screen, his brilliant smile preserved in the photograph but no longer on the planet for Veronica to see again.

Arizona was as dry as Cuba was humid. Lance would have hated it here, Veronica thought, with the sweat-inducing heat and perpetual dryness that was murder on any normal person’s skin, but as far as she knew he never complained once (and Lance was a complainer) which showed just how much he was willing to put up with to achieve his dream. Bad weather, rude teachers, being shoved into the cargo pilot class…all things that Lance withstood in an attempt to become the fighter pilot he knew he could be.

Veronica’s heart hurt.

The drive to the Garrison led them a few hours out of Phoenix, into the desert where the only other living beings hid under rocks and leaves during the daytime. There wasn’t much to see; apart from a few colourful, oddly shaped rocks, and a singular, lone, apparently abandoned shack in the valley away from the highway, the desert was empty.

They arrived at the Garrison when the sun was positioned high in the sky, and they left the car in the empty parking lot (the Garrison didn’t get many visitors), hands shielding their faces from the sun, and herded themselves into the cool, metallic lobby of the Garrison. Veronica’s father approached an uptight looking secretary and asked to see Dr. Robert Gadway. At first, the lady looked unwilling to cooperate, but upon hearing the name “McClain”, her eyes flooded with pity that Veronica couldn’t stand and she rang up an extension, promptly herding them into a closed off waiting room.

Tensions were running high at that point, with Veronica exchanging glances with Marco and Luis, and her parents fidgeting worriedly in their seats, obviously trying to keep brave faces for their children. They sat stiff on their couches, unable to even reach for their phones- cellular connection didn’t reach out this far in the desert, or maybe the Garrison was blocking it, who knew.

Eventually, the door to the left opened, and through it stepped a tall man with spindly legs in a gray, pinstriped suit. His brown hair was greased flat and thin glasses were perched on the end of his nose.

“Good afternoon,” he said in a nasally voice. “I’m Dr. Gadway, the head of the Galaxy Garrison. You must be the McClain family.”

Veronica’s parents stood up, and she and her siblings followed quickly after. Her father extended an arm for a handshake, and Dr. Gadway accepted.

“You must be Fernando McClain,” he said, his smile like a papercut. Turning to Veronica’s mother, he said, “And you are Juliana McClain; it’s a pleasure. These are the children, I assume?”

Veronica bristled internally at being referred to as a child- she was nearly 20, after all- but her father nodded. “Luis, Marco, and Veronica,” he said politely, pointing to each person as he said their name. As their name was called, each sibling gave Dr. Gadway a short nod; his eyes lingered over them as if he already knew who they were, and their respective ages, and possibly even more facts that Veronica barely remembered about them herself.

“We were called here and promised answers,” Veronica’s father said, looking Dr. Gadway straight in the eye. “I don’t want to be rude but you can understand why we want to hear these answers as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” Dr. Gadway replied smoothly. “If you could all have a seat and allow me to explain a few things beforehand…”

Veronica exchanged glances with Luis and saw her own impatience reflected in his eyes. They wanted to get straight to the point and know where Lance was and what communication he had attempted, but they sat down all the same.

“Thank you,” Dr. Gadway said as he lowered himself into an armchair opposite of the couches they were seated in. “The first thing I would like to discuss- whatever we reveal to you today in totally classified. Not a single word of this must get out to anyone, or there will be…consequences.”

“What about family?” Veronica’s mother said, “My mother- Lance’s grandmother, she’s worried-”

“No one else,” Dr. Gadway answered, “Can know. This is confidential information and we cannot risk it getting out to the general public or falling into the wrong hands. There are security risks, you see.”

Veronica didn’t like the sound of these threats, but she suspected that arguing would be futile. Having to hide whatever truth from their family would be torture, but that feeling was overpowered by her intense desire to _hurry this process up_.

“Fine,” their father said shortly. “Go on.”

Dr. Gadway nodded. “You all know that about two years ago, three crew members and their spaceship were lost on the moon Kerberos. Amongst them were the scientists Samuel and Matthew Holt.”

Veronica nodded; she knew about the failed mission because Lance was heartbroken over the disappearance of Takashi Shirogane, his hero and the main pilot of the Kerberos mission. She had no idea how this was relevant to Lance.

“Around five weeks ago, Sam and Matt Holt crash landed back on Earth.”

Veronica’s jaw dropped. The other four’s faces looked similarly shocked.

Marco was the first to find his words, as usual. “Crash landed? Where?”

Similar questions were running through Veronica’s mind. That sort of incident should have made international news for at least a week, just like the news of their disappearance.

Dr. Gadway pursed his lips. “That is classified. Unfortunately, we cannot reveal that to you; the important thing is that they brought with them a video message from Lance.”

Veronica’s heart seemed to jump from somewhere around her navel to her throat. A video message was too much to hope for- she had expected a brief message in some sort of code, at the most- but icy terror sliced through her veins a brief moment later. What if he was horribly injured or dying? What if he had aged seventy years because of changes in the passage of time? What if he told them that he wasn’t coming back?

“Where is he?” Their mother asked, practically whispering. She seemed frozen in her seat, hands clenched around her purse, eyes trained on Dr. Gadway.

Dr. Gadway hesitated for a second, then another. He opened his mouth. “To be completely honest Mrs. McClain…we don’t know.”

Deafening silence fell over the family.

“You don’t know?” Marco said incredulously. “You don’t _know_?”

“How many places in the solar system can there be? I thought you had the technology to explore all of the nine planets?” Veronica asked, voice rising with every word.

Dr. Gadway raised his hands placatingly. His expression was pained, and perhaps a bit irritated. “We suspect- and you must remember, this is confidential, we’re giving this to you on that condition- that Lance is not in the solar system. We suspect…well, just watch the video, and you’ll see.”

Glancing from Luis and Marco’s outranged faces to their parents sickly, concerned ones, Veronica realized that they needed to collect themselves or they’d never be ready to see Lance’s message. Taking a deep breath, Veronica stood up, and said, “Okay. Show it to us.”

Dr. Gadway nodded and opened the door he came in from. “Please, come this way.”

Veronica followed after him, and the other four walked behind her at her heels. Dr. Gadway led them down a winding, brightly lit corridor, the walls and floors various shades of gray and black. Someone who looked like a student, dressed in bright orange, walked down the hallway; when his eyes landed on Dr. Gadway, they went wide and he hurried quickly past.

Dr. Gadway opened a black door into a room that contained 5 rows of 5 black seats each, built into the floor, in front of a wide, grey screen.

“Please, take a seat.” He gestured at the black chairs, and they filled in the first row, looking at the grey screen in anticipation.

Out of his pocket, Dr. Gadway pulled out a small, rectangular device. It was pale silver, metallic, and parts of it glowed turquoise like a system of wires that weren’t actually wires but rather some sort of bluish energy. For a moment, Veronica thought it was a remote, although it didn’t look quite like one, but then Dr. Gadway pressed something on it, and a wide, 5 by 5 foot square image unfolded in the air- like a projection from the device, Veronica realized.

Dr. Gadway set it in front of the grey screen, making the projected image a little clearer to see, and Veronica gasped out loud.

It was Lance. He sat on a white chair, on a white table, and the background was faintly turquoise like the colour from the device.  He was wearing his favourite green jacket, Veronica realized with a start, one that he must have been wearing when he disappeared from Earth.

What really stood out to her was how _normal_ he looked. His skin was as glowing fresh as ever, his eyes the same familiar deep blue that all the McClain men- their father, Marco, and Luis- carried. Upon closer inspection, Veronica noticed the dark circles, subtle enough that she hadn’t noticed at first glance, painted underneath his eyes, but she couldn’t help but also note how his hair was slightly longer, and his shoulders slightly broader as if he had been working out. There was a gentle slant to his mouth, a not-quite-smile that was so familiar to Veronica that she felt her breathing become painful because of it.

“Lance,” her mother said, and her voice reflected the shining tears in her eyes.

Dr. Gadway moved to press another button, but Marco interjected, “Are you going to stay here?”

“We’d prefer to be alone,” their father reaffirmed.

Dr. Gadway looked momentarily displeased, but he hid it well behind a thin, gracious smile. “Very well. I shall wait outside. It’s a short video; please use it to assure yourself of his wellbeing.”

“We’ll see,” their mother said, voice strong despite the shiny gloss of her eyes.

Dr. Gadway pressed play and slipped out of the room.

Veronica had expected the video to be grainy, or at least out of focus, but the image being transmitted was as sharp as real life, every mark and shadow on Lance’s face depicted in pristine quality. There was no audio interference, and the noise of a shifting chair came so clearly from the other end that it was as if Lance was in that room with them. Veronica’s throat tightened.

Lance’s lips dipped into a frown as he adjusted the camera, and then he sat back and ran his hand through his hair in a familiar gesture. He sent a cross look up to the ceiling and then glared at something across the table; for a moment, he followed it away with his eyes, and then they returned back to the camera, and his fist thumped the table lightly.

“Well,” he said, and Veronica was hearing his voice again for the first time in fourteen months. His eyes were more serious that she was used to, a bit more closed off, and she wondered what space had done to her baby brother. “God, I don’t even know where to start.”

He slumped back in his chair and let out a half-snort, half-laugh. “Don’t tell Abuela that I used the Lord’s name in vain, please. That’d make a bad impression after…God, how many months has it been?” Lance rubbed at his eyes with two fingers and Veronica’s concern spiked.

When he straightened up, he had a stronger smile on his face, even though Veronica was suspicious about how genuine it was. “You’ll probably get this video with Sam Holt- what am I saying, I mean, definitely with Sam Holt, he’s taking it back to Earth. We found him up here a while back-” Who was “we”, Veronica wondered. “-and he’s headed back to Earth now.” Lance cleared his throat, looking slightly awkward. “Which you should know if, you know, you’re watching this.”

“So yeah, we found Sam and Matt up here a while back, Matt first- well, mostly Pidge found him, it was all her doing- hey, Pidge is here! Remember her? I never got to introduce you guys to her, but I’m sure I told you about her. Short, genius guy? Turns out, she’s a girl! She’s Matt Holt’s sister!” His eyes seemed brighter at the mention of Pidge, who Veronica vaguely recalled Lance telling her about. From his stories, he had mentioned that she was distant and snarky; clearly, they had time to bond in the past fourteen months, Veronica thought semi-bitterly.

“Hunk is here too!” Lance smiled at that, wide enough that Veronica felt her heart lighten. “Remember when you guys said Hunk would keep me from getting killed? Turns out he does on a weekly basis- quiznack, I shouldn’t have said that,” Lance muttered to himself, looking like he was cursing his words. Their mother’s breath hitched and Veronica tried not to let panic crawl up her stomach. She and Luis exchanged glances, and he mouthed, “ _Quiznack_?” with a confused expression.

Lance’s expression brightened once more. “Shiro’s here too! Remember he disappeared on that Kerberos mission? We found him way back when, around when we left, it’s this whole story and Coran will kill me if I make this video too long, so I’ll leave that for another time.” His face fell for a moment before picking back up. “Coran and Allura we met just after we left. Get this- they’re aliens. They’re from this ancient planet called Altea, and they’re so cool- they have colourful markings on their face and pointy ears! Coran’s awesome, he reminds me of Tío Carlo, kind of, and Allura-”

Lance broke off, and a vaguely dreamy smile crossed his face. “She’s amazing. She’s like, my age, and she’s strong and brave and kind…” He had a faraway look in his eyes. “She’s special. That’s not just me saying it, she has this type of princess magic- she’s a princess, by the way- that she uses to save people…”

Veronica could feel her mouth left agape, but she couldn’t bring herself to close it. Aliens? Princesses? Magic? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. For a moment, she wondered if this was made up by the Garrison to falsely assure their families, but it was too far-fetched for any man to craft into a believable lie.

“And that’s our team- well, I can’t forget Keith. He came up with us when we left, I don’t know if the Garrison- or anyone, I guess- noticed he was missing.” Lance reached up to scratch the back of his head, an old nervous gesture that sent another wave of pain down Veronica’s gut. “He’s our- well, not anymore- it’s complicated,” Lance summarized, with a conflicted look in his eyes. “That’s Keith Kogane, you guys should- you guys should know him.” A flush rose on Lance’s cheeks. “I think I ranted about him enough.”

Veronica wondered if Lance and Keith were on bad terms, the way Lance spoke about him so awkwardly. They had indeed heard about Keith Kogane, the pilot prodigy, the supposed rival with a bad haircut. To Veronica, it sounded like childish jealousy, but she wondered about the complex feelings Lance seemed to have with Keith. It didn’t seem like Lance, to stay unfriendly with someone after over a year with them in space, but maybe Keith really was an asshole.

Lance fiddled with his fingers, looking vaguely uncomfortable. “He’s…yeah. He’s still part of our team, what am I saying? Enough about him,” Lance finished, with a tight look on his face, as if someone was pinching his arm underneath the table and he was trying not to let that pain show.

Lance’s shoulders slumped after a moment and he let out a quiet laugh. “I should tell you guys…well. I don’t know when I’ll make it back home. We’re kind of- there are things we need to finish first. There’s this…empire. The Galra. They destroyed Allura and Coran’s home and they’re destroying others. We have to stop them- we’re kind of…destined for that.” He let out another mirthless laugh. “That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? I can’t save a bunch of people like that. I’m just Lance.” He went quiet for a moment. “But I guess we have. It’s…I don’t want to lie to you, it’s dangerous, but we’re fine. My team is more than capable to handle it. Hunk and Pidge are geniuses, Coran’s so brave, Allura is so powerful and compassionate, Shiro’s such a strong leader, and Keith- he’s, well, Keith.” Lance made a sound like a breathless laugh, as if he was sharing an inside joke with himself that the rest of them weren’t in on.

Then he raised his eyes to the camera, and Veronica saw raw determination in his eyes, some sort of strength gained from talking about his teammates strength- and his own, the strength Veronica knew was present inside of him. “We’ll make it back,” he said fiercely, “We’ll all make it back, and you’ll see me again, you can meet all of us.” And Veronica wondered when “I” became “we”, when Lance and this alleged team became this one, cohesive, powerful entity that he couldn’t- and didn’t- separate from. Her insides ached with the knowledge that her brother had grown into a new man.

“I don’t want you guys to worry- quiznack, that’s the last thing I want,” he said in a softer voice, now glancing down to his lap. “I know- I know you all must be. But try not to worry too much- we live in a castle, we’re the defenders of the universe, can you believe that? Two years ago, I was a cargo pilot.” Suddenly, Lance buried his face in his hands, hiding his expression from them.

“I- shit. I mean, quiznack, I mean,” he stammered, voice trembling but clearly flustered. “I miss you guys.” His voice cracked, in perfect time with Veronica’s heart. She vaguely registered the warmth dripping down her face. “I miss you guys so much, you know I do. I love you guys so much and- and there’s so much here I wish I could show you, that I could share with you- you better remind me to tell you these stories when I get back, promise? There’s so much to tell you. Say hi to Hunk’s parents for me, he’ll do one of these too but I just want them to know…he says hi, by the way.”

He raised his head so they could see the reddish tinge to his eyes, the way he smiled despite the single streak of a tear down his right cheek. “Seriously, I’m fine. We’ll be back as soon as we can and- and I love you guys, don’t worry too much. In fact, you should be jealous at all the cool things I’ve been up to,” he said, as a feeble attempt at a joke.

“I’m saying this so much but I love you guys. I don’t know when I can talk to you, or send you one of these, again, so for now…goodbye. I’ll see you guys, sooner rather than later, hopefully. Please don’t worry too much. Bye. Sh-quiznack. Bye.”

His hand reached towards the camera, and a moment later, the video blinked off.  

“Lance,” Veronica’s mother sobbed. “Oh, Lance. What have you gotten yourself into?”

Her parents sat with their arms wrapped around each other, tears streaming from both their eyes. Luis had his fingers pressed against his face, and Marco sat, hunched over, lips pressed into a thin line, looking like he was trying hard not to cry.

Veronica’s shoulders quivered, and she hastily pressed a hand to her cheeks in an attempt to wipe away the salty droplets that littered her skin.

“He said…he said he’d see us again,” she choked out in a tight voice. “We have to believe him. We have to have faith.”

Luis nodded faintly.

“Stop an empire?” their father said disbelievingly. He dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief. “How can Lance really…”

They fell into a heavy silence.

It was interrupted by a swift knock at the door and the noise of Dr. Gadway stepping into the room.

“I see you’ve finished,” he said in a respectfully quiet voice. None of them turned towards him; they stayed staring at the spot where the video had disappeared. “Lance is currently… engaged in affairs outside of what the Garrison, or any Earth space program, is capable of detecting. We don’t know specifically what he’s talking about but we can conclude that Lance is safe-”

“Safe?” Veronica’s mother interrupted. “How can he be safe? Did you hear him, Dr. Gadway? You watched the video- without our permission, without us knowing that it even existed- you saw. Destined to stop an empire.” A sob bubbled out of her. “What- what is he thinking? You have to send help, those are kids- Pidge is fourteen!”

Dr. Gadway pursed his lips. Veronica hated that expression on his face. “There is nothing we can do. They are out of our reach. I apologize, Mrs. McClain, but I’m afraid the only option left is to…wait.”

“What about the other families?” Veronica’s father asked. His blue eyes were bright with water. “Will Hunk’s family know too?”

Looking irritated with the questions, Dr. Gadway nodded slowly. “Hunk Garrett’s family received a video message from him as well. Katie Holt met her family in…space and her mother will meet Sam and Matthew. The Garrison will ensure that all families are kept updated on the whereabouts of their children.”

Briefly, Veronica wondered about that guy, Keith, and the pilot legend Shiro. Were their families being told as well? But she pushed that out of her mind, drowning the thought with the overwhelming worry for Lance flooding her thoughts.

“In case you have any more questions,” Dr. Gadway spoke again. “You have my email. And my phone number. Don’t hesitate to give me a call,” he said, in a way that felt as if he would rather wrench out his own teeth than answer more questions. He pulled out three business cards from his packet and handed it to Veronica’s mother. Veronica recognized the dismissal.

“That’s it?” Marco asked, looking vaguely disgusted. “You don’t have anything else to say?”

Dr. Gadway lowered his eyes, and for the first time he appeared less than formal. Less like an oily businessman, more like a teacher whose suffered the loss of students under his charge.

Veronica would have felt sympathy, if she hadn’t known how some professors, also under Dr. Gadway’s charge, treated Lance.

“There is nothing more to say,” Dr. Gadway spoke evenly. “The Garrison will do everything we can. That we can assure you.”

Veronica lowered her head. There was nothing more to say.

They left the room quickly, unable to stay any longer. They didn’t ask if they could keep the video; they knew what the Garrison’s answer would be. Instead, they tried to wipe their faces quickly before exiting through the cold halls of the Garrison, through the lobby, and out into the parking lot.

In the parking lot, before they reached the car, but when they were alone enough that no one outside the family was watching, their mother broke down into tears once more.

She buried her head into Luis’s shoulder. “Will he come back? Will Lance come back?” she cried, shoulders shaking. Their father stepped forward and wrapped his arms around both of them. After a brief moment, indecision splitting across his face for a moment, Marco joined them, pressing his forehead to their mother’s shoulder.

Veronica moved forward, wrapping her arms as far as they would go around her huddled up family. She leaned her head against her father’s quivering back and closed her eyes, feeling the tears crawl smoothly down her face.

“He’ll come back,” she whispered, “Lance will come back.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you liked it, please feel free to leave kudos, a comment, and/or check out or contact me via [my tumblr](https://astral-klance.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I'm considering writing a second part of this which would be a multichaper fic where Lance and Team Voltron come home. Let me know if you guys would read it!


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